MONTEREY PARK >> Two police officers escaped injury when their car was struck by two shotgun blasts in an ambush late Thursday in Monterey Park, officials said.

An unknown attacker opened fire just before 10 p.m. as the officers were stopped in a commercial parking lot at the northeast corner of Garvey and New avenues, Monterey Park police Lt. Scott Wiese said.

The officers were watching over the parking lot of a 7-Eleven store across the street when their car was struck from behind by gunfire, the lieutenant said.

“All of a sudden, they heard two shots,” Wiese said. “They said it was really loud, like a shotgun blast. They felt the impact on the back of the patrol car.”

The officers sped out of the parking lot to escape the gunfire, he said. They didn’t see the shooter.

Monterey Park police, joined by officers from neighboring cities, swarmed the area in search of the attacker, Wiese said. The shooter remained at-large early Friday morning.

The shots were fired from north of the parking lot where the shooting took place, Wiese said. The area is occupied by a gated commercial lot, a vacant lot and the rear area of an apartment building.

Police summoned crime lab officials to the scene to examine the forensic and ballistic evidence.

Anyone with information can reach the Monterey Park Police Department at 626-573-1311. Tips may also be submitted anonymously via L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Brian Day has covered crime and breaking news for the Southern California News Group since 2007. He’s a graduate of California State University, Fullerton and Cerritos College in Norwalk. He loves dogs and has a pet German shepherd, which in turn, has a pet cat. Brian is a local news junkie, a licensed drone pilot and a part-time science geek with an unfortunate predilection for puns.